Ashton United 0-5 Crewe Alex - 6 Thoughts

I'm sorry. You're probably sick of reading these long winded articles over pre-season friendlies. It's not something I usually do. But again, even though this was a standard fare in terms of a performance and win over the east Manchester outfit, there were still some topics to talk about, that hopefully aren't just rehashes of old topics. No, here are some relatively fresh points which I think this game did highlight:

1 In, 2 Out

There was at least a small sigh of relief when I saw Mickey Demetriou(or Mickey Demdriov as the Ashton scoreboard hilariously named him) out there warming up. He doesn't need to play in these sorts of games, but given he's a man that would play every game if he could, it was starting to become a bit of concern to see him miss out on both Kidsgrove and Newcastle. So to see him back was a relief, given the defence is still ridiculously reliant on him as the sole player over the age of 25.

However, in less positive news, Matus Holicek was out although he didn't seem too bad given he was sat with Adrien Thibaut and Joel Tabiner on the sidelines throughout the game watching on. And speaking of Tabiner, the worst fears from Tuesday were confirmed when the club announced he had ACL damage. That's a season ender, as we suspected. It's a brutal blow given the club were likely hoping he would be a key cog in their attacking game this season. It only heightens their need for attacking reinforcements and fast, as their list of attackers that are fit and available at this moment in time read: Josh March, Callum Agius, Fin Roberts & Jordan Hodkin. That's it. Not the place you want to be in with the season now less than 3 weeks away.

Back Up

We aren't going to keep rehashing the same points about where they need reinforcements, that's been done to death already. But one position they don't need to worry about anymore is goalkeeper. The club plugged the hole left by Filip Marschall's departure by signing 21 year old Sam Waller on loan from Burnley.

Whilst he didn't play in this game, he comes with good reviews from Rochdale fans, given he kept 7 clean sheets in 20 appearances at Spotland last season. It's only a small sample size, but it's better than nothing. He appears to give them a solid back up option, as I will maintain the management feel the number 1 spot is Tom Booth's to lose.

But should Booth falter or pick up an injury, then Waller on paper looks more than capable of stepping in and picking up the mantle. The goalkeeping area appears to be in safe hands, pun intended.

Squad Numbers

Maybe squad numbers mean nothing to you. But me, they matter to me. It's sad and nerdy I know, but who takes what squad number is something I watch out for and I look forward to the day they are officially released. I think it tells you a lot about who is projected to be starters and who is likely to be a sub/fringe player. Ok, that's not always the case, but it often is.

So, I think it's interesting that in this game, Charlie Finney took the number 14 shirt, which was Jack Lankester's old number, and not the number 3. I could be way off, but I think Reece Hutchinson will be 3 and Finney 14. Elsewhere, Lewis Billington wore 2, which again might not mean much, but I'd be curious to see if he holds onto that number come the opening day.

Josh March wore the number 10, which is vacant as Shilow Tracey doesn't seem all that likely to come back at this point. March wore the number 24 at Harrogate, which is Charlie Finney's number from last season. Should Finney move to 14, that would open up 24 for March should he wish. Or he could prefer 10. Finally, it doesn't appear all that likely that some of the players will switch numbers, as Demetriou was 5, Sanders 6, Thomas 8, Agius 20 and Connolly 18.

I'm curious as to when the squad numbers are properly revealed, which wasn't done until 7 days before the season began 12 months ago. Again, it means little in the grand scheme of things, but it's something I take an interest in.

Starting XI still a mystery

With 3 friendlies down and only 4 to go, I do think we're in a position to say we can take a stab at the starting formation come opening day. It'll either be a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, fitness/recruitment depending.

But I don't think we're very close to knowing who half the starters will be at this stage. I'd say the only players I could name with confidence are Booth(GK), Demetriou(CB), Thomas(CM) and March(ST). At RB, Billington could still be displaced by a new signing. Same with James Connolly at RCB. At LB, it's a toss up between Hutchinson and Finney. In midfield, it could be any combination of Thomas alongside Powell, Sanders and/or Lunt, depending on how many players they select.

Upfront, well they are very thin on the ground, given only Josh March, Callum Agius, Fin Roberts and Jordan Hodkin are fit and available attackers at this moment in time. If Holicek is good to go, he'll be in, although in what position I'm not sure. But with Lankester out for probably the first few games of the season, Bogle MIA, Tabiner out for the season and Holicek and Thibaut suffering from unknown ailments, without more reinforcements, it's hard to properly project who will start and where.

They have 4 friendlies left and less than 3 weeks until the season starts. I don't think they are as far along with their squad building as they would like to be. But that's stating the obvious.

Not as Bad

All the above being said, I will still maintain that the squad isn't in as bad a place as some make out. Yes, the starting XI yesterday wasn't a great one. Would it struggle in L2? Yes, probably. But then, it still has to welcome Hutchinson, Lankester and Holicek into it. Those 3 could be/are game changers depending on your point of view.

We know they are in the market for a striker, given Louis Moult's continuing trial. We know they are in the market for a RB, given Ollie Turton's ongoing trial. They are potentially looking at bolstering the midfield, if the links to Aston Villa's Tommy O'Reilly are accurate. And they will almost certainly be in the market for attacking help outside of striker given they currently have no fit wingers.

But again, I think, with a fair wind, they have a squad 15 players right now that could be valuable on any given game day. Is that enough? No, it's not. Will that number be 15 come August 2nd? No, hopefully it will have increased. Is it ok to feel concerned by where they are squad wise at this stage? Yes, I'd say so. But should we be pressing the panic button? No, not at all.

Make your choice

Which brings me onto my final point. I feel like there are some Crewe fans who bemoaned how little a chance some youngsters got last season. They wanted to see more of Booth, Billington, Lunt, Agius and Roberts. But now, they feel like the same fans who are bemoaning the lack of signings the club have made thus far.

So I think it's time the Alex fan base makes a choice as individuals. Do you still want to see them go down the youth route? If the answer is yes, then you need to place faith in the names mentioned above, alongside the likes of Holicek and, potentially, the greener players in Armstrong, Dancey, Moore and Hodkin, to step up and carry the team this season.

If the answer is no, well then I have some bad news for you. This club does not have the budget to sign 5-6 difference makers every summer and what's more, it never has done. So I'm not sure why you expected that to change now.

They take huge risks on trusting their youth and, at this moment in time, there is increasing evidence to say it's a strategy that is giving them diminishing returns. But, love it or loathe it, this is the path they've taken for 30 years and they aren't about to change now. So if you are one of those fans who think they should or will be bringing in quality EFL experience in 5 positions, you are going to be disappointed. The Alex will likely have to rely on their younger players this season more than they have done in years gone by. Time will tell whether it pays off or not.